By Rick Hiduk
(Also published in the Rocket-Courier)
Toward the end of a relatively short public meeting of the Wyoming County Commissioners on Tuesday, Tom Henry noted that he and fellow commissioner Judy Mead had recently toured a facility on Bridge Street in Tunkhannock that might offer some relief from the ongoing drug overdose problem.
Though they were hesitant to reveal too much too soon about the center, Mead indicated that county officials are hopeful that “they may be able to help us with some of the addiction and mental health issues in the county.” Henry added that the facility may open by the end of November.
Henry also reported alarming statistics from the most recent meeting of the Luzerne Wyoming County Drug & Alcohol Board that he had attended. There have been 19 deaths attributed to overdoses in Wyoming County alone this year.
One of those was as recent as this past weekend, he explained, adding that a second reported overdose victim in Washington Township survived due to a naloxone application by first responders.
“There are lot more overdoses that do not end in deaths,” said Mead, both she and Henry crediting the availability of the opioid antidote for the survival rate.
“We’ve had many reversals,” Henry offered, though not sure of the total. “We may never know how many. We only know how many doses of Narcan we have used.” In some instances, a second application of naloxone is needed for a full recovery of an overdose patient.
Nineteen deaths is still far too many, the commissioners lamented. “We’ve gotten so far ahead, but we are still losing people,” said Henry.
Falls Couple Objects to Poll Consolidation
Bob and Sue Thompson of Falls Township visited the commissioners on Nov. 13 to report that the Lake Winola United Methodist Church had never sold more dinners than during the recent midterm election. It is one of two annual fundraisers for the women’s auxiliary, of which Sue is a member, and proceeds topped $1,700 this year.
The Thompsons were among those who were against the proposed merger of the Falls 1 and 2 precincts, largely on the grounds that the church depends on the customers for its fundraiser guaranteed by people voting there. The request was denied by Judge Russell Shurtleff in October. The Thompsons asked the commissioners, as members of the election board, to take that into account if consolidation is considered again.
Henry acknowledged the couple’s concerns but reminded them that the decision is up to the board as a whole. If Henry and Mead both run for reelection for their respective posts next year, he added, they must recuse themselves from their election board positions.
Other News
The promotion of Patrick Butkiewicz from part-time sheriff’s deputy to full-time was approved by the commissioners, effective Nov. 12. He is replacing a deputy who recently resigned.
Commissioner Mead noted that she had attended the annual banquet of the Wyoming County Conservation District on Nov. 9 where she learned of the potential invasion of the spotted lanternfly to the region. “It’s going to be very scary,” Mead remarked, adding that more groups should take advantage of Sarah Hall-Bagdonas’s offer to bring her presentation to them.